Yes, prog rock, live on (and on)!

The pioneering English prog-rock band Yes celebrates its 45th anniversary this year. The group's lone American member and newest addition, lead singer Jon Davison (far right), used to be the vocalist in Roundabout, a San Diego Yes cover band. He and drummer Alan White (second from left) discussed the band with U-T TV recently.
Rob Shanahan

The pioneering English prog-rock band Yes celebrates its 45th anniversary this year. The group's lone American member and newest addition, lead singer Jon Davison (far right), used to be the vocalist in Roundabout, a San Diego Yes cover band. He and drummer Alan White (second from left) discussed the band with U-T TV recently.

Intriguingly, what may have sounded and looked laughably pompous and over the top then has taken on a fresh allure for some young fans more recently.

"A couple of years ago, there was a kid who came up to me after a show where we'd performed my (1973 concept) album, 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII," Wakeman recalled. "I said: 'How old are you?' And he said: '17.' I said: 'Christ, you weren't even born when I made the album! What do you like about it?' He replied: ' it may be old for you, but it's new for me. I only heard it for the first time last month.' It's true. For half the people in the audience, it is new."

Speaking of new/old aural adventures, Yes, recently hosted its maiden music-at-sea ocean cruise. On Aug. 3, the band will debut Yestival. To be held in Camden, N.J., the daylong event will feature such veteran prog artists as Renaissance, ELP drummer Carl Palmer and the Los Angeles trio Volto! (whose drummer, Danny Carey, is a member of Tool). From July 14-17, Yes will host the latest edition of Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, an event designed to provide personal musical coaching and interaction between famous bands and well-heeled fans, who have long dreamed of playing with their heroes.

Earlier this year, the 17-year-old Baja Prog festival in Mexicali resumed after a four-year absence. Its lineup once again mixed veteran prog bands with newer artists. The event's audience is eager to embrace both.

During the 1998 and 1999 editions of Baja Prog, Ten Ginn guitarist Stanley Whitaker found himself surrounded by autograph seekers, journalists and concert promoters after fans realized he was a founding member of Happy the Man, a highly regarded American prog group that had disbanded in 1979. When the Los Angeles-based Ten Ginn (now defunct) played a few songs by Happy the Man during its Baja Prog performances, the audience responded was ecstatic.

"It was amazing," recalled Whitaker, whose Baltimore-based neo-prog band, Oblivion Sun, recently released its second album. "People kept coming up to me. They were so excited that I'd been in Happy the Man, even though we'd been defunct for 20 years. They just went nuts."

So nuts, it transpired, that Whitaker was inspired to reunite Happy the Man soon thereafter. The band released a new album in 2005, “The Muse Awakens,” and he credited the group's rebirth specifically to the fan response at Baja Prog.

Pomp and circumstance

Today, the pomp and circumstance that were staples of much prog in the 1970s have diminished. And the days when bands like Yes, Genesis (in its Peter Gabriel-led period) and ELP sold millions of album, got regular radio airplay and played in arenas and stadiums have passed. But the allure of prog rocks on.

"There are huge swarms of young bands influenced by '70s progressive rock, or at least this is what I glean from reading ProgressiveEars.org and PROG Magazine. It's a subculture, but a really thriving one," said San Diego guitar and keyboard wizard Mike Keneally. He rose to prominence in former San Diegan Frank Zappa’s band in the 1980s and performs here Aug. 29 at the Civic Theatre with prog-inspired guitar star Joe Satriani.